No Escape (Previously Somewhere In Neverland)
by VioletReese
Summary: When Cam runs into a crazy kid, she plays it cool. But when the kid pulls out a bean and says it's magical, she starts to worry. And when the kid throws a bean into the water, claiming that it will take them to a place where they can be free, Cam tries to run. The kid grabs her hand and drags her into the whirlpool his "magic bean" creates. Cam could strangle him.
1. A Crazy Boy Steals Me Away

"Where you going, girlie?" Bryan shouts behind me.

I pull my jacket as tightly around my body as I can. "Bryan, leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Oh, come on, babe!"

Shaking my head, I turn around and scream, "I am not your babe! Leave me the hell alone before I call the police!"

"What are you gonna tell them?" Bryan asks with that smug smirk. "An attractive and charming guy was giving you compliments?"

"I'll tell them that an obnoxious and aggressive _boy_ wouldn't leave me alone, and I started to fear for my safety."

He scoffs at me. Like I'm in the wrong. "You know, you're just lucky a guy like me will give you the time of day, Cameron."

"You know, it's scary that people like you are allowed to breed."

"And it's scary that women like you are let out of the kitchen."

"You are such an asshole," I tell him. "Leave me alone. I've gotta get home."

Bryan takes a threatening step toward me. I pull my phone out of my pocket and unlock it, pressing the emergency call button.

"Is that really necessary?" he says. "I just wanna talk."

"If you lay a hand on me, I will call the police. And if you don't leave me alone and let me go home, I will call the police. Understood?"

He nods, but continues following me. "Are you going to give me a kiss?"

"No!" I start walking faster, but Bryan's strides are longer than mine. He grabs my arm and I dial the familiar three digit number. "Let. Go. Of. Me."

"You should probably listen to her, laddie," another accented voice hollers down the street. Bryan and I both spin in his direction.

A boy, dressed in brown, ratty clothes stands at the other end of the road.

"And who might you be?" Bryan asks defiantly, gripping my arm more tightly. "I'm having a neighborly conversation with my... friend, Cameron." He gives me a smile that looks almost painful.

"She doesn't seem to think so." The boy looks at me. "Are you having a neighborly conversation, Cammy?"

"No. And please don't call me that."

"And, Cammy, would you say he has been harassing you for about two blocks?" he continues, ignoring my request. He pulls Bryan's hand off my arm.

"Yeah."

"Well, then I think the police would be very interested in this." He smirks victoriously. "Not to mention that I'm fairly certain Bryan- it is Bryan, right?- is at least eighteen years of age." The boy turns to Bryan. "Am I wrong?"

Bryan doesn't reply. Instead, he crosses his arms stubbornly.

"You're right," I say. "He's turning nineteen in two months."

"And... how old are you, my dear Cammy?"

I'm annoyed at the awful nickname, but I can't say anything else because he's helping me. "I'm... I'm sixteen."

"Therefore, with the evidence I've gathered, I'd say you are breaking the law," the boy says. "What you've already done is assault. So you can either walk away now, or I can take care of you myself."

Smirking, Bryan takes a step toward the boy. "Can you, now?"

"Touch her one more time. I dare you."

The boys glare at each other. Bryan's eyes show anger, while the other boy's reveal amusement.

"Fine." Bryan grabs my arm.

I pull back my elbow and shove it into his gut. Bryan keels over, and I hit him in the back of the neck. He falls down to the ground. "Don't ever touch me again," I hiss at him. He moans, crawls to his feet, and runs away.

"I warned you!" the boy calls after Bryan.

"You didn't do anything," I say. "I'm the one who-"

"Yeah, but I was expecting you to get rid of him. I'm not all brawn, you know."

"Thanks for, uh, for helping." I offer him my hand. "Cameron. But you already know that."

"Of course, Cammy. I'm Nigel." He takes my hand and kisses the back of it.

"Real polite, aren't you?" I look him up and down, realizing I don't actually know what he looks like. I mean, I can see him, but I don't _know_ what he looks like. His face isn't memorable.

I also notice that the clothing he's wearing is in really bad shape. And he has a brown hood, like you see in a fantasy TV show.

"I try my best." He flashes me a smile, and offers me my hand. "Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Uh, no. I just met you. That doesn't give you the right to go all _Aladdin_ on me."

"Aw, come on. I just saved you from him. You think I did it expecting nothing in return?"

I cross my arms. "I take back what I said."

"So you _do_ trust me?"

"No. No, you're not polite."

He grips his chest like he's just been shot. "Oh! That hurts."

"Yeah. Okay, well, I've gotta get home. Maybe I'll see you around?" I start walking down the street.

"I'll walk you home." He struts confidently beside me. "So. Wanna see something cool?"

"If you're about to pull out your penis, I'll pass."

"Ha. No. No, I'm not gonna do that. I was talking about... this." Nigel pulls something out of his pocket. A coin, maybe? He holds it like it's sacred. "It's a bean."

I chuckle a little bit. This guy is crazy! "A... a bean? Is it at least a magical bean?" I add sarcastically.

"In fact, it is."

"Of course, it is. Because you can't just be nice. You have to be insane, too."

"Look, just trust me. This will take you somewhere people like Bryan will never bother you again."

I take a step away from him. "What if I like it when people like Bryan bother me?" I ask defensively. "You're insane, so why can't I be insane, too?"

"But you're not insane. You're lost."

"Lost? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't belong here. You belong in Neverland."

Neverland? "What, like _Peter Pan_ Neverland?"

"Yeah."

Okay. Time to duck out. "Of course, it is. Look, I've humored your insanity for too long. I have to get home. My dad-"

"Is just gonna beat you again?"

"What?" How did he-

"You heard me." He stares at me with a knowing gaze. "And your mom won't do anything about it. She ignores it, like it isn't happening."

"Shut up."

"Come on. Don't you want to get away?" Nigel takes my hand, and I don't have the sense to jerk away. "You will never have to come back. They'll never hurt you again."

For a moment, I find myself hung up on his words. Never come back... That would be great.

I snap back to my senses and pull my arm away. "Leave me alone!" I step into a puddle, groan, and shake the water off my foot. Another thing to add to the list of "Bad Things That Have Happened Today".

"Fine. You asked for it." Nigel drops the bean into the water.

"Really? You had to drop your bean? You just-"

The puddle begins to swirl. "Are you coming?" he asks.

"Definitely not."

Nigel sighs, grabs my hand, and jumps into the puddle.

"Seriously? What are you-"

To my disbelief, we continue to fall through the water. And fall. And fall. The color of the water changes from a muddy brown to purples and greens to a clear blue. The light becomes dark.

The swirling stops and I feel like I might puke.

Nigel wiggles his eyebrows and starts to swim up. I follow him, mostly because I can't do anything else.

Breaking through the surface, I gulp down huge lungfuls of air.

"Believe me now?" Nigel asks.

"Uh, no. You must have slipped me some drugs."

"When?" He seems really interested in what I come up with.

"When you grabbed me. There must have been something on your hands."

"Why am I not drugged then?" His expression is amused.

"You are. You're insane."

"Why are we seeing the same thing?"

I'm running out of ideas. "How do I know you are?"

"We're in the middle of the ocean."

"Yeah? That was just a guess."

Nigel starts swimming. "Come on. We should probably go."

"Go? Go where?" I don't see anything.

"The island's that way."

I don't really have any choice but to follow him. Not if I want to live. This is gonna be a fun night.

Please note the sarcasm.


	2. The Phoenix

"So. Where are we, then?" I ask Nigel as we drag ourselves onto the shore. A huge jungle spreads just behind the beach. It's not the kind you see on a postcard, but instead dark and dangerous. I can imagine a man-eating werewolf roaming those woods.

"I already told you. Neverland."

"Right. The mythical place occupied by boys who never grow up." I smirk at him, wringing out my hair. "Does it look like I believe you?"

"Look, I only brought you here because Pan needs you. I don't necessarily like you."

"Pan needs me? Oh, I'm so flattered!" I jump up and down like a little school girl who just got the answer right.

"Good! So you-" He stops, and the undercutting tone of my voice seems to compute. "Oh, was that sarcasm? That was sarcasm."

"When will I get to meet him? And the Lost Boys? I take it you're a Lost Boy. Maybe we'll run into Tinkerbell, or even the Indians!" I smirk at him, and he looks at me with disappointment settling into his eyes.

"You can stop being so sarcastic, you know," Nigel says. "Now. Let's get to camp before the traitors find us."

"Traitors?" This is just getting worse.

"I'll explain later. Come on." Nigel takes my hand and starts running through the dark forest.

"Do we have to go through this jungle?" I whisper. I feel almost as if I'm too loud, the flesh-eating werewolf I was thinking about might come and get us. "It's creepy."

Still holding my hand, he says, "Oh, is little miss bravery scared?" He smirks and I glare. "You'll get used to it."

I don't think I want to. Neverland is scary from what I've seen.

"Just... is there another way to your camp?"

"Nope."

"Of course not." My foot catches on a root or something and I gracefully face-plant.

Nigel chuckles, and helps me to my feet. "Smooth."

"Yeah, laugh all you want." I wipe off my pants and rub my face. "Where's the camp?"

"We are almost there actually. It's just through here." He takes a sharp right turn, and an arrow zooms past my face.

"What the hell?" I shout, and another flies in my direction. "Nigel!"

"Cammy! Follow me!"

I see him insanely dodging the flying projectiles. It's almost like he's dancing- amazing to watch. A small rock to the head brings me back to my senses. I can't see who threw it, but it's really annoying, let me tell you.

Running after Nigel, my lungs quickly begin to burn. I'm so out of shape...

 _I'm not out of shape! Round is a shape!_

The sarcastic part of my head should really shut up. Also, am I usually that offensive out loud?

God, I hope not.

Nigel's voice breaks through my scattered thoughts. "Duck, Cammy!"

Without question, I hit the ground. An arrow impales the tree where my head was seconds before. "Huh," I mutter. Not thinking properly is probably bad, yeah?

Pulling myself to my feet, I run in the direction Nigel's voice came from. I think it came from over here...

A hand takes mine and pulls me forward. I follow, not quite able to see. Maybe that rock was bigger than I thought it was. I carefully feel the back of my head. A sharp pain echoes through my skull.

The rock was bigger than I thought it was.

Nigel leads me through the trees, hopefully to somewhere safe. Things zoom through the air, but whoever is attacking must have really bad aim. Like, _Stormtrooper_ bad aim.

The grip on my hand tightens, and my palms grow sweaty. Maybe they've been sweaty, I can't really tell. Something oozes down my neck, but I'm fairly certain it's not sweat. It feels too thick.

But that may just be the head wound talking. Wait, what?

Hooded figures jump out of the trees and into our path. More cut us off from behind, and others surround us. All aiming various weapons at our faces.

"Who do we have here?" one of them asks in a gravelly voice. "Is that... Nigel?"

The figures collectively chuckle, some outright laughing.

"And who is this?" the gravelly voice asks. "A little treat for your Lost Boys?"

He snaps down his hood to reveal... a boy. No older than fifteen. His face is riddled with acne and his front teeth are crooked.

"Who are you?" I ask, trying to muster a steely confidence through my muddled thoughts.

"Oh, a brave one here," the boy says, like it's some kind of joke. The other figures laugh again.

"Leave her alone. She isn't for us," Nigel calls. The hooded boys turn to him.

"Then who is she for?"

If I was looking at Nigel, I'm fairly certain I'd see that smug smirk I've already grown familiar with. "She's going to be Pan's saving grace, Kade."

The figures all chuckle again, but these laughs are different. More like... disbelief.

"Pan's saving grace?" the one I assume is Kade says.

My vision is starting to blur. Black spots fill my line of sight.

"She's the one. The one Pan told us about that last night."

"The Phoenix? She's... not nearly as impressive as I would have expected."

Bile rises up in the back of my throat. I angrily swallow it, refusing to show these boys any more weakness.

"You haven't seen her. She took on a guy way bigger and older than you," Nigel says in my defense.

"I'll take my chances," Kade smugly declares. "Get 'er, Guerrillas!"

The boys charge, grabbing me from every side. Ten different people must have a hold of me.

 _I wish this would stop. I wish this would stop. I wish this would stop._

I feel suspended in time, mostly because I can't think. Like nothing's happening but me. Yes, I meant but me. It feels like I'm the only thing alive- the only thing here.

Do you ever feel so confused that you start thinking you're the only person moving?

That's when I realize: I _am_ the only person moving. The grips of the boys have gone weak. I easily break their holds and move away from them. Other boys hold Nigel, who I quickly drag out of their hands. He isn't moving either, but at least I can move him.

Suddenly my head stops throbbing. I feel the back of my skull, only to find hair.

A darkness and cold falls over the jungle. Something moves in the corner of my eye. "You're welcome, by the way," a rasping voice calls. It seems to be coming from all directions.

"For what?" I shout back.

Something cool brushes against the back of my head. I spin around, but nothing's there.

"Your wound is gone. You're welcome," the voice repeats in a sardonic tone.

"Am I supposed to say thanks?"

"That's what I was hoping for." I realize the voice is layered- two different voices melded together. A strange and unsettling yet somehow pleasing sound.

"How did you freeze them?" I ask.

"I didn't," the voice says. Another movement to my right causes me to turn in its direction. "That was all you, Phoenix."

"What exactly is the Phoenix?" I ask. "And how did I... do this?"

"Why, darling, that's you. And how... Well, if I told you, I'd be saying too much." The voice is grating, yet soothing. Unnerving, but peaceful at the same time.

"Then what _can_ you tell me?"

"I can tell you that you are special," the voice whispers in my ear. I whip around to find... nothing. But it's breath is on my neck. "And I will be waiting for you, my Phoenix. You have about ten seconds before time resumes. I suggest you grab Nigel and run."

The voice falls silent.

I don't hesitate to take Nigel's hand and drag him through the jungle in the other direction.

A flash- and Nigel stumbles over the leaves. "What the-"

"Where's the camp?" I ask. He just gives me a confused look. "I'll explain later. Where's the camp?"

I hear a war cry from behind us, and it seems to snap Nigel back into action.

"This way," he says, taking the lead. I stagger after him, still trying to gather my bearings.

The Phoenix... Peter Pan... Neverland... I have too many questions and too few answers to feed my growing curiosity.

What the hell am I?


	3. My Little Pooh Bear

**_FYI: Bold means flashback, italics means it's in the characters' heads._**

Stumbling into a clearing full of tents, Nigel pulls me to a stop. I can't catch my breath, and my lungs and eyes are burning.

"They wouldn't dare attack us here," Nigel assures me. He's not nearly as exhausted as I am. It's not fair.

"So. Camp," I mutter. "Not nearly... as nice... as the camp... on... Avalon."

"Very funny. Now. You probably need sleep." He pulls back the flap of one of the tents. "You can use this one. No one's used it since..." Nigel's voice trails off.

"Since... what?"

"Nothing. It's yours."

"Well, thanks." I hadn't realized how extremely tired I was until now. Collapsing on the small cot inside, I don't even look at my surroundings. A sweet aroma fills my nostrils. The smell of pine needles, old books, and smoke soothingly pulls me into sleep.

 _Good night, Neverland_.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," someone whispers in my ear.

"No," I moan, putting my elbow over my eyes. "Leave me alone."

"Come on, Cammy." A hand falls on my shoulder and shakes me awake. "You have to get up."

"I don't wanna."

Someone pulls me to a sitting position. I angrily open my eyes so I can smack whoever it is.

A horde of boys stands over me, watching me.

"What the-" I snap fully awake and jerk away from the unfamiliar boys.

"Calm down, Cammy." Nigel's face comes into my line of vision, and everything rushes back at once. Neverland. Peter Pan. Phoenix.

"Good morning," I say quietly. "Who are they?"

"Lost Boys."

I swing my legs over the side of the cot, and all the boys scramble backwards, like they're afraid to touch me.

"Why are they all in here?"

"They were curious." He shrugs. "Okay, boys, let's give her some privacy."

The boys look disappointed, like they want to see more. "Girls aren't that rare," I tell them. "Shoo."

They hurriedly run out the door, afraid to go against my wishes.

"Actually, girls _are_ that rare around here," Nigel says. "For some reason, Pan didn't find them necessary. Too much of a distraction, I bet."

"Distraction?"

"Well, you know. Pretty girls, lonely boys. Bad mixture when you're trying to stay young forever."

"Whatever you say," I reply. "So, are you the leader here, or something?"

"What makes you say that?" he asks.

I shrug. "They do what you say."

"I'm the temporary leader," Nigel says. "Although not everyone wants me to be."

"What do you mean?"

He sits on the cot next to me, carefully giving me room. "I was never very high up on the leadership pole, but when everyone left-"

"Everyone left?"

"I'll... I'll explain later. Most of the Lost Boys took off. What you saw in here is who stayed. But," he continues. "Some of the boys would rather be in charge now that Pan..."

"Pan... what?"

"Pan's dead."

"I thought... I thought I was here to help him."

"You are."

"But... if he's dead-"

"I don't even know everything," Nigel says quickly, standing up. "Our instructions were if Pan ever... died, we were to find the Phoenix and bring her to Neverland. That's where what I know ends."

"So... you have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"No. Are you going to tell me what happened last night? With the traitors?"

"Maybe."

He glares at me.

"Fine." I recount the tale, the voice, time standing still. His expression grows more worrisome as I speak. "What does he mean I froze them?"

"He means you froze them."

"No? Really? I had no idea."

"Really. You can cut down on the sarcasm."

I glare at him. "Sorry." I sigh, frustrated beyond belief. "Do you happen to have anything else I could wear?" My clothes are covered in dirt and mud and sand. "Or at least something I can wear until I get these cleaned?"

"Nope."

"Why, thanks for the help."

"What did I say about sarcasm?" He smirks at me. "You know, there's a simple fix for the whole clothing thing, right?"

"Apparently not."

"You just have to imagine that you have clean clothing."

"Imagine it?" That's it, he's gone crazy.

"Neverland is an island run on belief. Just... believe you're wearing different, clean clothes and you will be."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Just do it."

I shake my head. "Fine." _I'm wearing clean clothes._ I look down. Still dirty. "It didn't work."

"Close your eyes," he says. "It's not enough to just think it. You have to see it. Believe it."

I sigh, and do as he says. _I'm wearing clean clothes._

"Try harder. See yourself in your... favorite outfit."

"Really?"

I can practically feel his glare on me. "Try saying it out loud."

"Fine. I'm wearing... my white and blue long sleeve shirt." I feel a small wind over my torso.

"Keep going."

"My jeans with the rips on the knees."

Another small wind.

"My brown jacket. And my high-top converse."

"Look, Cammy."

I open my eyes and look down. I'm wearing the outfit i just described. "Wow."

"Magical, isn't it?" Nigel's half smirk lights up his face.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all smug." I hurry out of the tent before he can say anything else.

The Lost Boys stands around a fire-pit outside the tent. There are ten, maybe fifteen of them. Apparently that's only a fraction of what they used to be. They look at me expectantly.

"Uh, hi?" I say.

They flinch at my voice and whisper amongst themselves.

"Boys, this is Cameron," Nigel announces authoritatively. A few muster a wave, and no one looks me in the eye. "Cameron, these are the Lost Boys."

"Hello, Lost Boys," I say.

"Is she..." a boy mutters quietly. "Is she the one Pan told us to find?"

"Yes, Mason" Nigel replies. "She's the Phoenix."

"So... what do we do now?" another boy asks. "We found her. What's next?" The other boys seem to have the same question.

Now it's Nigel's turn to look away. "I don't know."

"Did he even tell us what the Phoenix is supposed to do?"

"She's supposed to be Pan's saving grace."

"Why don't we ask her?" Mason suggests. "She might know."

"I'm sorry," I say. "I don't know anything more than you do."

A cold gust of wind fills the air. A foreign voice fills my head. _That's a lie._

"What the-"

 _Isn't that right, Cameron? You've heard about the Phoenix before._

I look at the boys to see if they heard the voice, too.

The boys look betrayed. "Cameron?" Nigel says carefully. "Have you?"

"I swear, I haven't."

 _Oh, you have, Cameron. You just can't remember._

"Who are you?" I ask angrily. This voice has no right to say what I do or do not know.

 _I know you. Don't you know me?_

"How could I know you?"

 _Let me give you a little reminder, Pooh Bear._

"Don't call me that." That's my grandmother's nickname for me. How does the voice know about it?

 _Don't be that way, Pooh Bear._

"Shut up!"

 _Fine. I'll just have to show you._

Suddenly, I can't see anything. I feel my knees hit the ground, but my vision is filled with black.

 **I'm sitting on my bed back at home. I can't be older than five. My hair is short, and my clothes are too big.**

 **"Cameron! Dinner time!" my mother calls.**

 **"Okay!" I shout back.**

 **Someone taps my shoulder. I spin around to find a teenage boy standing beside me.**

 **"Who are you?" I ask, my voice laced with curiosity. Being five, that's my normal tone.**

 **"I'm just a friend," he says. "My name is-"**

 **"Can I call you Zippy?" I had always wanted a friend I could call Zippy. I don't actually know why.**

 **The guy chuckles a little bit and smirks. My five year old mind did not compute the attractiveness of his smile. "I suppose you can. What's your name?"**

 **"Cameron." I mess with the pillow on my bed. "Why are you in my room?"**

 **"I just wanted to say hi, Cameron," the boy says. "And I'd like to make you an offer."**

 **"An offer? What's that mean?"**

 **"It means that I want to give you something if you give me something."**

 **"Okay. What do you want?" I'm still not looking at him. Instead, I'm rubbing the hem of my t-shirt.**

 **"If you promise me something, I'll be your PIF."**

 **"PIF?" I finally look up at him curiously.**

 **"Permanent imaginary friend."**

 **"You can do that?" I ask quietly. I had never even had an imaginary friend. "I didn't know imaginary friends were permanent."**

 **"Of course, they can be. But," Zippy adds, "you still have to promise me something."**

 **"What?"**

 **"Promise me that you'll do me a favor."**

 **"What do I need to do?" I'm all too eager to have a friend- even if he is imaginary.**

 **"I'll tell you when the time comes. Until then..."**

 **A knock echoes from my door. "Pooh Bear?"**

 **Zippy moves back against the wall, and puts a finger to his mouth.**

 **My grandmother opens the door. "Pooh Bear, it's time for dinner."**

 **"I'm coming, Nonna," I say quietly, watching Zippy against the wall. Nonna hasn't noticed him yet. My grandmother was born in Italy, and Italian is her first language.**

 **"Can I talk to you for a minute, Pooh Bear?" I nod, and she sits next to me on the bed. "I need you to be careful,** ** _comprendere_** **?"**

 **"Careful about what, Nonna?"**

 **"You won't understand any of this until you're older." She pushes my hair out of my face. "My little Phoenix. Someday, you'll be ready to fulfill your destiny,** ** _miele._** **" Nonna kisses the top of my head. "I love you, babydoll."**

 **"I love you, too, Nonna."**

 **She walks out the door, talking to me over her shoulder. "Come on down to dinner, Pooh Bear."**

 **"Okay." I'm not really listening to her. I'm watching Zippy against the wall.**

 **"Are you ready?" he asks. "Do you promise that you'll do me a favor in the future?"**

 **I happily nod. "I promise."**

The vision fades, and I'm on the ground in Neverland again.

 _Do you remember now, Pooh Bear?_

Yeah. I remember. "So my grandmother called me her little Phoenix once." I get to my feet. The Lost Boys look confused.

 _But it can't just be a coincidence, can it?_

"It's probably not, but that's all she ever told me about it." I start rethinking everything I can remember my grandmother saying to me. "That's all I know."

 _You should be able to figure something out from that, Cameron. You're a smart girl. It means..._

"That the voice in my head is an asshole?"

 _Something about your grandmother..._

"She knows. About the Phoenix."

 _There you go. But for now, you're stuck here._

"Who are you?"

 _Haven't you figured it out?_

I have, but I'm hoping I'm wrong. "That makes you Zippy."

 _Good job. I'll see you again. PIF, right?_

I don't answer. I hope to God he's lying. But I doubt it.

If he's Zippy...

Well, I'll just say it. Zippy was the most terrifying imaginary friend you can imagine. Basically, he was the devil on my shoulder through my childhood.

Yeah. Not a good thing.

 _I'm more than happy to collect on that favor._

"Based on a promise I made as a five year old? That's barely fair."

He doesn't reply to that. _Until next time, Pooh Bear._

A cold wind whips past me.

Goodbye, Zippy.


	4. The Game Is About To Change

"You're an ass," I mutter under my breath. I'm sitting on the cot in the tent I've borrowed. Nigel sits next to me.

"That's not very nice," Nigel says quickly. "Look, I just need to check something."

"And for you to check something, I have to take my shirt off?"

"I... I have a hunch, okay?"

"But do I really have to take my shirt off?"

"I just need to check your stomach for something."

"For what?"

"It's just a hunch."

I take a deep breath and lift my shirt. "What are you looking for?"

"A birthmark."

"I don't have a birthmark on my stomach."

"Do you have a birthmark somewhere else?"'

"Yeah. On my back."

"Show me."

I turn around and lift my shirt so he can see it.

"Is that... a four leaf clover?"

I nod. "I've had it my whole life."

"I figured."

"What was the hunch, then?"

He sighs, and rubs his eyes. "Okay, when I told the boys I didn't know anything, it might have been a little bit of a lie."

"So you know what the Phoenix is," I say.

"Kind of."

I glare at him, and he won't look me in the eye.

"You aren't the only Phoenix to have visited this island," Nigel says quickly.

"What do you mean?"

"Every... twenty-five years or so, another girl shows up. Always sixteen, has the same birthmark. The same 'bite me' attitude."

I stick my tongue out at him.

"The last one was named Cassandra. She didn't like it when I called her Cassie."

 _That's my mother's name. She hates being called Cassie._ "What about the one before that?"

"Uh... I think her name was... Alaina? Alina? Anne?"

 _Alina. That's my grandmother's name._ "Does the Phoenix thing run through families?"

"Yeah. Just one family. The Aliberti family. But since it's passed between the females, the name keeps changing."

"So... my mother and my grandmother and all my other... female relatives were all Phoenixes?"

"Yeah."

"So that's why my grandmother knew." I wipe my hair out of my face.

"Pan would take them to the Dark Hollow, and when they came back, they looked different."

"What do you mean?"

Nigel shrugs. "Their eyes had a different gleam."

"What?"

"Like they had lost their hope. And I know that this is your family I'm talking about, and it's probably uncomfortable-"

"I need to know," I say quickly. "I need to know what Zippy has to do with this."

"Zippy?"

"Uh, he was my imaginary friend."

"Did he have a dark green shirt? Brown belt? Boots?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Your imaginary friend was also called Peter Pan." Nigel's eyes meet mine. "It means Pan took a special interest in you. He never visited the other Phoenixes."

"What does that mean, though?"

"It means you're different from the other ones. You are important." Nigel stands, messing with is hair. "And dangerous."

I nod. "So. What does that mean for me?"

"I don't know."

I glare at him quickly, and he puts up his hand in surrender.

"That really is _all_ I know."

"Okay, okay." I put my pillow in his face and stand up. "What do I do now?"

He throws my pillow across the tent. "You learn how to be a Lost Boy."

 **TWO WEEKS LATER**

"Mason! Jake!" I whisper through the trees. "Where did you two go?"

Someone sneaks up behind me (or at least tries to sneak up on me). I look over my shoulder. It's just Nigel, so I don't do anything.

He grabs me around the waist and lifts me into the air.

"I guess you lose tag," Nigel whispers.

"You're not it, so I'm still in the game," I reply.

He sets me back on the ground. "Good point. Weren't you with Mason and Jake?"

"Yeah. I lost them."

A twig snaps behind us. Exchanging a quick glance, Nigel takes off in the opposite direction as me. He runs without making any noise. I'm still not quite used to the forest. Leaves crumble under my feet and twigs crack. I can hear Willy behind me.

How do I get away? As long as I can outrun Willy, I can still win.

I also know that Willy hates heights...

I take a quick right turn into the thicket of the forest. I pick out a sturdy looking tree and pull myself up on the first branch. Lucky for me, it's not that high up, and I easily yank myself up the tree.

I scramble further up. Willy watches me climb up the tree.

"That's not fair!" he calls up. "You know I hate heights!"

"Nigel ran that way!" I shout, pointing in his direction. "Go get him!"

"You know I can't catch Nigel!" Willy puts his hands on his hips. "You could!"

At that, I laugh. "I could not! I'm no better than any of you at this game!"

"You can catch him!"

"If this is your way of tricking me into letting you tag me-"

"Come on, Cam! You can get him!"

I sigh. I start clambering down the tree. "Fine. You can tag me. But you owe me big time." I jump to the ground, twigs snapping under my feet. "But you've gotta help me trick him, okay?"

Willy nods and taps my shoulder. "You're it!"

"I know, keep it down!" I whisper harshly. "We have to trick Nigel into thinking I'm not it, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Run that way," I tell him. He takes off. I run in the opposite direction. After five minutes or so, I run through a clearing. It's one of Nigel's favorite hiding spots. "Nigel?" I whisper. "Nigel!"

He quietly crawls out of the tree he was hiding in. "Did you get caught?"

"No. Willy's still it."

"Good. Which way did he go?"

"That way." Pointing in Willy's direction, I put my hand on Nigel's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Did I say Willy was it? I meant I was. That, of course, means you're it!"

I run away, tromping through the trees and around the thorns. I hear Willy's laughter behind me.

"Smart, Cammy!" Nigel calls through the jungle. "That was a smart move!"

 _I know._ I smile at my plan. The same thing had always worked on the other kids on the playground. That's how I caught the fastest kid in the fifth grade.

COCKA-DOODLE-DO!

The call echoes through the trees. That means we're supposed to go to the campsite. Immediately. The game must be over.

A few Lost Boys pass by me, running toward camp. I join them, picking up the pace. Soon, I pass them. I look around me to see who they are.

Mason. Rylan. And...

I don't know this boy. And there are only seventeen of them. It's only been two weeks, and I've learned all of their faces.

He's not one of ours.

I stop quickly, grabbing his arm and pushing him back into a tree. "Who are you?" I demand.

The boy just smirks. He's probably about fourteen. Black hair. Determined brown eyes.

"Who are you?" I say again, this time more forcefully. I put my knife up against his neck.

He still says nothing.

"Go get Nigel," I tell Mason. He and Rylan take off in the direction of camp.

"You're one of the traitors, aren't you?" I say.

"You think we're traitors?" he replies. "Oh no, sweetheart. We turned away from Pan, sure, but you are the traitors."

"Traitors of what?"

"The Lost Boys. You stayed loyal to Pan, even after what he did to us."

"What did he do?" I ask, pressing the blade into his flesh. The boy only smirks. "What did Pan do?"

The boy lets out a strangled cry, a high-pitched sound that echoes through the trees.

Three more unfamiliar boys burst through the forest and grab me. "Let me go!" I scream. "Nigel!"

The boys drag me away, going somewhere I don't recognize. I can hear the Lost Boys- _my_ Lost Boys- shouting and running behind us. "Cammy!"

"Put me down!" I shout. I feel a strange and unnatural heat in my arms. The boys let me go with cries of pain. Their hands are a bright red, like my arms burned them.

I don't hesitate to run. Branches whip me in the face, and twigs break under my feet. I feel something painfully graze my shoulder. It doesn't stop me, but it burns, like there's fire coursing through my veins.

Something catches my foot, and I gracefully (AKA: stupidly) face plant in the dirt. Boys pull me to my feet, keeping a firm hold of my arms. "Let me go!"

"Not any time soon, sweetheart." The voice sounds familiar.

"Kade?"

"Good to see you again," he says. "Now. You know what to do, boys!"

They drag me through the forest. "Cammy!" I hear faintly. The Lost Boys are far away. Maybe too far away to help.

The boys throw me on the ground. Mud covers my hands and my face. Probably the rest of me, too. I look up to find myself in a clearing. I scramble to my feet. "Where am I?" I demand. The boys ignore me. A huge pile of logs sits in the middle of the clearing. Two boys grab my arms again and pull me backward. I feel my back hit bark. It cuts through my shirt and I feel some blood drip down my back.

Someone ties vines around my middle and arms, trapping me against the tree.

 _Hello, again, my little Phoenix._

It's his voice. Zippy.

"Tell them to let me go!" I shout.

 _Oh, but watching you struggle is so much more enjoyable._

"What are you doing? Are these boys working for you?"

"No," Kade says quickly. "We don't work for him. We're here to destroy Pan once and for all. Your imaginary friend is just helping."

"Are you sure he's helping you?" I ask. If I know anything about Zippy, it's that he's definitely not someone who likes helping.

"Keep your mouth shut," Kade hisses.

"Whatever you say, boss." I smirk. "You're not killing Pan. Zippy is playing you."

"Shut up!" A stinging pain explodes through my cheek. He... He hit me!

"You bastard!" It doesn't hurt as much as it shocks me.

 _Oh, come on, Pooh Bear. Don't be that way._

"I'll be whatever way I want to be, you-"

 _If you're going to call me some displeasing name, you should keep your mouth shut. I think I get the gist._

"Someone light the fire," Kade orders.

 _No. Let Cameron do it._

"No!"

 _Come on, Cameron. You can do this._

"I don't want to do this," I snap.

 _Too bad. Either you do it, or I make you do it._

"Have fun with that." If I wasn't tied to a tree, I would cross my arms.

 _Fine. If she won't cooperate, then Kade, light your little fire._

One of the boys starts the fire quickly. Soon the flames are scraping the sky. The boys hustle about, moving things around. They make something that looks kind of like an altar.

"Is it always this dark in Neverland?" I ask.

The traitors look at me like I'm crazy or something.

"Yeah," one of the boys says quietly. "It's been like that since... forever, I suppose."

"Shut up, Cody!" Kade snaps.

Cody looks down and fearfully continues with what he's supposed to be doing.

"Are you ready?" one of the boys shouts over the roar of the fire.

Kade nods. He raises a stick in both hands. He starts rhythmically banging them together. The other boys join in, dancing in circles around the huge fire. Kade starts singing in a strange guttural voice. I can't tell if they're words, or just Tarzan-like screeches.

The fire starts growing higher and changes from orange and red to blue and green.

"That's a strange color for a fire!" I call over them. "Are you sure you're doing it right?"

Their singing only grows louder, and their dancing far more wild. They stop moving around the fire and stand in place, still dancing and singing.

One of the boys carries some kind of cushion with some kind of blade on its surface. Kade lifts it off the pillow like it's sacred. He says some words in a funny unrecognizable language.

 _The game is about to change._

I can't tell if the boys can hear Zippy's voice, but it's a rumbling groan, resounding through my body and ricocheting around my skull. It's filling my thoughts and my focus.

 _The game is about to change._

The fire goes dark and laughter echoes through the clearing.

 _The game is about to change._


End file.
